


when the dark clouds arrive (i'll stay by your side)

by uselesswithoutsleep



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Episode: s02e01 The Fisher King Part 2, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29752398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/uselesswithoutsleep/pseuds/uselesswithoutsleep
Summary: William Wordsworth wrote, "There is a comfort in the strength of love; 'Twill make a thing endurable, which else would overset the brain, or break the heart."It's not the first time JJ finds herself scared for her girlfriend's life, and it certainly won't be the last, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt any less.
Relationships: Elle Greenaway/Jennifer "JJ" Jareau
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	when the dark clouds arrive (i'll stay by your side)

**Author's Note:**

> elle greenaway deserved better
> 
> also this was kinda just me wishing they showed more of the team dynamic in season 1. and because i love both elle and jj

As JJ and Morgan re-enter cell service, the liasion’s phone pings with alerts of three missed calls. Before she can check who they’re from, her phone starts to ring.

“Jareau.”

“JJ,” Hotch’s voice sounds strained. “Elle was shot in her apartment by the unsub.”

JJ feels a knot form in her throat, her heart dropping to her stomach. 

“Gideon and I are at the hospital. She’s in surgery now,” the unit chief continues. “We’ve got it all covered here, just go find out more about Rebecca.”

“Yes, sir. If there’s anything we can do—”

“No, all we can do is wait.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Keep me updated,” Hotch instructs.

“We will,” the blonde affirms softly before hanging up.

Derek looks over at her. “What’s up?”

“Uh,” JJ lifts her head, still shocked and trying to process the information she’d just received. “That was Hotch.”

“Don’t tell me. Reid already figured it out, and we drove all the way out here for nothing,” Morgan jokes with a smile, not picking up on the now tense air.

“Derek,” JJ cuts him off with his first name.

“What?” His smile falters, as he does a double take, noticing the seriousness in the liaison’s voice.

“The…the unsub,” JJ stutters, her own heartbreaking, not only for Elle but also for the man in front of her. She tries to hide her emotions, putting on the stoic mask she uses when addressing the media. As JJ searches for the right words, a silence comes between them, Morgan continuing to anxiously exchange glances between her and the road.

“Elle was shot in her apartment this morning,” JJ reveals, deciding to just rip the band-aid off clean. Her voice sounds foreign to her own ears, as the wave of realization crashes upon her.

Elle was shot and is currently fighting for her life. She could actually die. 

Before he can say anything, Derek immediately pulls over to the side of the road, the tires screeching as he brakes.

“What?” He repeats in disbelief.

JJ can do nothing but stare back at him, not knowing what else to say, her emotions clouding her mind.

Morgan puts the car back into drive and sharply turns the car around, ignoring the curb and the honking cars.

“What are you doing?”

“Going back,” he responds tersely.

“No, no, no. Hotch said not to.” JJ relays the directions her boss gave to her.

“I don’t give a damn what Hotch said.”

“Look, Derek. He’s right. There’s nothing we can do at the hospital, okay?” JJ exasperates, desperation hiding her true feelings of anger, sadness, and fear. As much as she wanted to turn around and go to the hospital, she knew that Hotch was right. All they’d be doing is sitting around, waiting for news, good or bad. “B-but maybe we can find th-the unsub through— through her, through the victim’s profile, through Rebecca.”

Morgan lets JJ’s words sink in, knowing she’s right. He sighs before asking, “How bad?”

JJ swallows, “She’s in surgery. That’s all they know.”

All JJ knew was that this was going to be the most painful next couple of hours, as the love of her life fought for her life on the OR table. 

Elle and JJ had started dating a little over six months ago, after about nine cases since Elle joined the team. At first, it had been completely platonic. They’d bonded over being the only girl on the field team, sharing the experience of dealing with the evils of the world. After hanging out at each other’s apartments and going out to lunches together, they’d gotten even closer, both their feelings blurring between friendship and something else.

It wasn’t until Elle got taken hostage on the train in Texas that they came face to face with their feelings and confessed.

_JJ anxiously waited for Elle and Spencer to finish whatever conversation they were having, so she could make sure her best friend was alright. Biting her lip and furrowing her brows, she watches as Spencer gets up from the trunk of the police car, walking away from the brunette profiler._

_As soon as JJ saw her best friend making her way towards the ambulance, she immediately runs to her, crashing into her for a bone-crushing hug._

_“I’m so glad you’re alright,” JJ whispers into the other woman’s neck. “I was so scared.”_

_Elle relaxes into the media liaison’s embrace, cradling JJ’s head, brushing her hand through her blonde hair. “I’m okay, Jayge.”_

_JJ lifts her head and notices the gash on the side of Elle’s forehead. “Elle,” she softly admonishes, her voice laced with concern. “You’re hurt.”_

_“Just a small scratch,” Elle shrugs nonchalantly._

_“You need to go to the hospital,” JJ counters and raises her eyebrows, daring her friend to protest._

_“Why?” The profiler whines, pouting._

_“Procedure, Elle.”_

_Elle can only roll her eyes at hearing Gideon’s words repeated back to her. “Fine,” she relents. “But only for you.”_

_JJ gives her a small smile, before pulling her in for another hug. “I can’t lose you, you hear me?”_

_“I hear you, Jay.” Elle squeezes her best friend, before unwrapping her arms._

_As she heads towards the bus, JJ calls after her, “Elle, wait!”_

_“JJ, I really just wanna get this hospital trip over with.”_

_“I know, but there’s something I have to say.” JJ takes a deep breath, gathering up all her courage. “Today, when you were in that train, I didn’t know if I was ever gonna see you again. I was so scared that something bad was gonna happen to you, that you were gonna di—“ The rest of her sentence is cut off by a small whimper._

_“Hey, hey, Jen,” Elle approaches the other woman and softly takes her hands. “I’m right here, okay, alive.”_

_JJ nods, pushing down her emotions. “My point is: I realized just how important you are to me, and I couldn’t lose you, especially not without telling you that,” she pauses, closing her eyes in fear of rejection.“I have feelings for you, Elle.”_

_Elle’s face softens, a small smile playing on her lips. “Jayge, look at me.”_

_JJ opened her eyes, nervous anticipation along with tears pooling in her blue orbs._

_“I really like you too, Jennifer Jareau.”_

_The blonde beamed. “Really?”_

_“Really,” she confirmed, returning JJ’s grin. Elle quickly leans in to press a kiss to the liaison’s blushing cheek. “Now, Agent Jareau, I really have to go to the hospital, or else Gideon will be on my ass.”_

_“Go,” JJ chuckles, light-heartedly rolling her eyes._

_Elle finally steps up into the back of the ambulance, when she hears JJ’s voice. “Don’t ever scare me like that again!”_

_“I promise.” Elle blows her a kiss, as the ambulance doors close in front of her._

JJ shakes her head out of the memory and mentally curses her girlfriend for breaking her promise. As Morgan pulls up to the Bryant residence, the media liaison composes herself, pushing her concerns about Elle to the back of her mind. She had a job to do.

After discovering the truth of Rebecca’s childhood, JJ and Morgan, as they made their way back to Quantico, call Garcia to see why the girl had been adopted _._

As the short phone call comes to an end, JJ is left with the thoughts and worries for her girlfriend pervading her mind. Derek, ever the profiler, notices the woman’s restlessness.

“Hey, you okay?”

Still stuck in her head, JJ continues to stare at the darkness out the window.

“JJ?” Morgan briefly takes his eyes off the road to check up on his teammate.

“Huh?”

“You alright?”

“Mhm,” JJ hums with a curt nod, clearly distracted.

Her and Elle had decided not to tell the team about their relationship, not wanting to affect their work nor the team dynamic. There was also the potential risk that one of them, most likely Elle, would have to transfer units, and obviously neither wanted that to happen, both for their sakes and the teams.

Sensing that she wasn’t telling the whole truth, Morgan tries again. “You sure?

“Just worried about Elle,” JJ admits quietly, as she fidgets with the hem of her blouse.

Derek knew that the two women were very close friends, and he had his suspicions that there was something more going on between them. However, knowing now was not the right time to press, he simply replies, “Me too.”

The two agents spend the rest of the drive in silence, both of them anxious to solve this case and also worried about their friend in surgery.

As soon as JJ and Morgan enter the conference room, they’re immediately immersed back into the case, forcing the liaison to once again to push her thoughts of Elle to the back of her mind.

Spencer informs them about Randall Garner, when an older woman interjects, “He thinks you’re all modern day knights of the round table.”

The young agent quickly introduces Derek to his mother, Diana Reid, before Hotch enters the room demanding, “So, where are we on finding this son of a bitch?”

The team bounces their findings off each other, JJ immediately going into work mode and Garcia offering to search Garner’s tax records, when Mrs. Reid interjects. “Excuse me. Just before the agents got me from the hospital, a man delivered this to me.” She moves to reach into her bag, retrieving something. “It’s a photo of a house with an address on the back.”

The older woman shows them the writing, before flipping it over to reveal the house.

“Shiloh, Virginia? That’s only ten miles from here,” Morgan observes.

“Reid, Morgan, you’re with me. Let’s go,” Hotch directs, before addressing JJ and Garcia. “Keep in touch with Gideon on Elle’s status.”

The three men storm out of the room before either woman can respond. Finally with a small break, JJ sighs, trying not to break down right then and there, the stress of the case and the unknown status of her girlfriend eating at her.

“Garcia, do you need me here?” The media liaison flicks her eyes over to Reid’s mother.

Although Penelope was not a profiler, she could tell her friend needed some time to herself, her blue eyes tired and glossy. The tech analyst gives JJ a soft smile, “Nope, I got it covered.”

All JJ can do is nod before calmly getting up from her chair and retreating into her office. Once inside, she falls back onto the shut door, sliding down into a sitting fetal position. Running her hands through her hair, JJ finally lets the tears fall, a choked sob escaping her lips.

Her mind was racing, a thousand thoughts and questions flooding her head. Would Elle be okay? Is she alive? How could this happen?

JJ didn’t know how long she’d been sitting on the floor of her office, but she was brought back to reality when she heard her phone ring.

Sniffling her nose and frantically wiping her eyes, she attempts to regain her composure before answering the call. “Jareau.”

“JJ, it’s Gideon,” the older agent’s tired voice comes through the speaker. JJ immediately scrambles to her feet, alert and awaiting any news of her girlfriend. “Elle’s out of surgery. They expect her to make a full recovery. She’s alright.”

JJ lets out a sigh of relief, as she feels an immense weight lifted off her chest. “Good.”

“You heard from Hotch yet?” Gideon asks.

“Not yet,” the media liaison responds, a new wave of worry for her other teammates plaguing her.

“Well, keep me updated.”

“Yes, sir,” JJ agrees before ending the call.

Setting her phone down, she runs her hands through her hair, smoothing it back into place. JJ shakes her head, tears once again pooling in her eyes.

Elle was gonna be alright. She’s alive.

Her phone buzzes once again, a text from Hotch appearing on the screen. “Found Rebecca. Garner’s dead. We’re almost back.”

JJ takes a deep breath, glad that the team was safe and that this nightmare of a case was finally over.

Not even ten minutes later, the three male agents walk through the door, JJ immediately approaching them to deliver the good news.

“Elle’s out of surgery. She’s gonna be okay.”

“Good,” Hotch replies, as Morgan and Spencer both sigh and nod in relief. “Is Gideon still at the hospital?”

“Yeah,” JJ confirms. “Uh, how’s Rebecca?”

“She’s in the hospital, but she should be alright.” Morgan responds, Garcia approaching the group.

“Physically maybe,” the tech analyst mutters. JJ raises her eyebrows, knowing the truth to that statement, and she can’t help but think of Elle. While she may be recover from the gunshot wound, who knows the emotional affect it’s gonna have on her.

Hotch makes his way towards the stairs, before turning back to the group. “Thank you, everyone.” He looks directly at the blonde tech analyst. “All of you.”

Penelope smiles and looks back at Spencer. “Well, we could have only gone so far without Mrs. Reid.”

With that the group disperses, each going to tie up their loose ends of the case. JJ wanted nothing more than to rush to the hospital and be by her girlfriend’s side, but rationally she knew she had a couple things to do here at the office before then; plus, she knew Gideon would want some time alone with Elle.

Making her way back in the conference room, JJ approaches the white board, quickly scanning the riddle, before grabbing the eraser and cleaning the board.

“What are you still doing here?” Hotch enters the conference room.

“Jeez, Hotch,” she gasps, startled. “You scared me.”

“Sorry,” he offers, still waiting for her to respond.

“Just cleaning up. I’ll be done soon.”

“Jayge,” the unit chiefs says softly in a tone JJ rarely hears. “Go to the hospital. Be with Elle.”

“But—“ JJ goes to protest.

“That’s an order,” Hotch lightly affirms. “Besides, I’m sure she’d rather wake up to your face than Gideon’s,” he quips, giving her a knowing look.

JJ gives her superior a curt nod, as she sets down the ersaser. “Thanks.” Exiting the room, she turns back to the unit chief with a curious look. “How’d you know?”

“Know what?” He asks, feigning ignorance. JJ just stares at him, eyebrows raised. “I’m a profiler, JJ,” he relents. “You really thought I wouldn’t notice?”

The liaison nervously bites her lip, unsure as to what this means for her relationship. Sensing her hesitation, Hotch reassures her. “Jennifer, don’t worry about that right now. Go be with Elle. We’ll talk about it when she comes back.”

“Thank you, Aaron,” she says with a sincere smile, before leaving the room. Quickly grabbing her things from her office, JJ rushes to the hospital.

As soon as she gets there, she flashes her badge to the nurse at the desk. “I’m looking for Agent Greenaway.”

“Room 8, agent,” the nurse informs. “Right down the hall.”

JJ heads towards the room, slowly entering the doorway. Noticing the blonde’s presence, Gideon looks up at her with soft eyes, as he gets up from his chair. “I’ll give you some time with her,” the older agent says, resting his hand on the liaison’s shoulder, giving her a knowing smile. “Take care of her, JJ.”

JJ returns a small smile, before moving to sit in the chair Gideon had just vacated. She takes her girlfriends limp hand into her own and gently rubs her thumb over Elle’s knuckles.

Not really knowing what to say, JJ lightly chuckles. “Hotch and Gideon know about us. Should’ve known better than to try and hide something from profilers like them.”

Seeing Elle hooked up to all those machines triggers a flood of tears to stream down JJ’s face. “Gosh, Elle,” she sobs, wiping under her eyes. “It feels like I’ve either been crying or on the verge of doing so all day.

“I want to be mad at you for breaking your promise, but I know this wasn’t your fault,” JJ sighs frustratedly, as she reaches over to gingerly caress her girlfriend’s cheek. “I was so scared that I was gonna lose you and that I wouldn’t be able to tell you I love you. I love you, Elle,” the blonde confesses, lightly dropping her head against the other woman’s arm.

“I love you too,” Elle croaks, her eyes still closed. JJ immediately lifts her head at the sound of her girlfriend’s voice.

“Elle?”

The injured woman slowly opens her eyes, as she slightly turns her head to face the liaison. “Hey, beautiful.”

JJ lets out a wet laugh, shaking her head. “Always the charmer.”

“Only for you, Jay,” Elle quips, her voice slightly strained. “I was scared too, you know. I really thought I was gonna die, and as I was laying there, all I could think of was you, how you’d never know just how much I love you, how we’d never get to have a future together. I wasn’t scared of death, Jayge,” she admits sincerely. “I was more afraid of leaving you.”

By now, JJ was crying again, not bothering to wipe the tears away. “I love you so much,” she whispers, as she gets up to carefully place a quick but passionate kiss to her girlfriend’s lips. Pulling away, gently resting her forehead against Elle’s, JJ locks eyes with the other woman. “But I swear to God, Elle Greenaway, if you scare me like that again, there’ll be serious consequences.”

Elle slightly smirks, attempting to wiggle her eyebrows. “What kind of consequences, Agent Jareau?”

Rolling her eyes, JJ moves to sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m serious, Elle.”

“I know,” she sighs, closing her eyes for a brief second before reopening them. “I’m sorry I broke my promise.”

JJ gives her a sad smile, nodding her head. “I know, and I know this wasn’t your fault. Just please try and be careful when you go in the field, for me?”

“Of course, Jayge,” Elle agrees, her eyes drooping, as the fatigue and medication starts to take over.

“Go to sleep, honey,” JJ coos, softly brushing a loose strand of hair out of her girlfriend’s face. “I’ll be right here when you wake up. I’m not going anywhere.”

As the media liaison watched Elle sink back into a restful sleep, JJ swore to herself that that’d be a promise she herself would always keep.

_“Oh I will stay with you through the ups and the downs_

_Oh I will stay with you when no one else is around_

_And when the dark clouds arrive_

_I will stay by your side_

_I know we'll be alright_

_I will stay with you”_

_— Stay with You, John Legend_

**Author's Note:**

> title is from the song "stay with you" by john legend
> 
> hope you guys enjoyed it! i always wished they showed the team visiting elle in the hospital...i feel like they weren't really there for her after she got shot. anyways..comments&kudos are always welcome :)
> 
> come say hi to me on tumblr at everything-im-a-fan-of


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